Family-Friendly
Creamy Mushroom Penne
A weeknight dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes. Mushrooms get golden in a hot pan, then a splash of cream and a handful of parmesan turn the pan sauce silky. The ridges on Cibo di Italia Penne Rigate grab every drop.
Ingredients
- 400 g Cibo di Italia Penne Rigate
- 400 g mixed mushrooms — button, chestnut or oyster — sliced thick
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 30 g butter
- 3 pieces garlic cloves — finely sliced
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves — or 1 tsp dried
- 200 ml cooking cream — single cream, around 18% fat
- 50 g parmesan — finely grated, plus extra to serve
- 1 tbsp lemon juice — about half a small lemon
- to taste salt and black pepper
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley — chopped
Method
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Step 1. Bring 4 litres of well-salted water (2 tbsp salt) to a hard boil in a large pot for the pasta.
8 min
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Step 2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil and the butter in a wide pan over medium-high. Add mushrooms in one layer and let them sit untouched for 3 minutes so they get colour.
3 min
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Step 3. Stir the mushrooms, season with a good pinch of salt, and cook 4 minutes more until deeply golden. Add garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
5 min
-
Step 4. Drop the penne into the boiling water. Set a timer for 9 minutes — taste at 8 for al dente.
9 min
-
Step 5. Pour the cream into the mushroom pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Lower the heat, stir in half the parmesan, and turn off the burner.
2 min
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Step 6. Scoop out a mug of pasta water before draining. Tip the drained penne straight into the cream pan with a splash of pasta water.
1 min
-
Step 7. Toss for 1 minute until the sauce coats every ridge, loosening with more pasta water if needed. Finish with lemon juice, parsley and a grind of black pepper.
1 min
-
Step 8. Plate up and shower with the rest of the parmesan. Serve immediately while the cream is glossy.
Goes well with
Sparkling water with cucumber, lemon and a few sprigs of mint — cuts the richness cleanly.
A simple rocket and shaved-parmesan salad with lemon dressing.
Fresh strawberries with a drizzle of balsamic and a crack of black pepper.
Nutrition
Scaled to your servings
- 654kcalCalories33%
- 69.9gCarbohydrate27%
- 21.4gProtein43%
- 32.5gFat46%
The pasta we used
Cibo di Italia Penne Rigate
500g · Cooks in 9–11 minutes · Serves ~5
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